Damaged but not Broken
by gnarley
Summary: Before HYDRA, Lily was one of the most promising Agents to enter SHIELD. Graduating at 16 she was immediately placed under Agent Hill's guidance and trained with the best of the best. Even after the fall of SHIELD she was more then happy working for Agent Hill and the Avengers but now SHIELD is trying to rebuild and Hill has different plans for her.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel.**

Before HYDRA, Lily was one of the most promising Agents to enter SHIELD. Graduating at 16 she was immediately placed under Agent Hill's guidance and trained with the best of the best. Even after the fall of SHIELD she was more then happy working for Agent Hill and the Avengers but now SHIELD is trying to rebuild and Hill has different plans for her.

-:-

Lily Coulson was at a loss. She had spent most of her life training and working for SHIELD. She went to the SHIELD Academy of Operations and graduated at the age of sixteen. She was then assigned to work under Commander Maria Hill who then had her trained with Agent Barton and Agent Romanoff. Occasionally she would be sent on field missions with her father like New Mexico for instance. Even when HYDRA had fully infiltrated SHIELD and took them down she still worked for Maria. Hill had her go undercover to gather intel to finally take down the terrorist organization but that had come to an end. Two other Agents who were supposedly working for SHIELD had blown their own covers which lead to further investigations and she had to get out before they made a connection between her and Agent Hill. Now she felt lost without a purpose.

"Come to Stark's hideous tower and we'll work things out from there," Maria's said when Lily had phoned her.

"I heard that," came Stark's voice from the background causing the older woman to chuckled.

"You can relax here for a couple of days. Barton and Romanoff are here so it'll give you time to catch up."

"Yea... okay," Lily replied quietly. After she lost her father to the Battle of New York, Lily had attached herself to work. This was the first time since becoming a field agent she didn't have a place where she belonged. "I'll see you in a bit."

Lily had barely stepped out of the elevator when she swept up into a bone crushing hug by one of her former mentors.

"Lily-pad, I haven't seen you in ages!" the archer said when he finally let her go.

Lily couldn't help but smile at the older man. Everyone use to say if it wasn't for her last name they would assume Clint and Natasha were her parents. Mostly because she was just as good with a bow and could take down several men without a weapon thanks to their training.

"Last time I saw you was just after New York," she replied. The mention of New York caused Clint to frown a bit before smiling again and leading her into the Penthouse suite.

"Ah! So you must be the baby agent Hill has been corresponding with," a male voice called out once they step into the living area – Tony Stark's voice to be exact. In the room was Stark, Natasha, Maria and Steve Rogers.

"I've seen you before," Tony spoke again sound a bit confused. "You were there in New York. In the helicarrier. You were like Hill's little shadow."

"That's because Lily was being trained to take over Hill's position one day," Natasha explained as she stood up from the couch to hug her.

"Agent," Maria greeted with a nod. "Please come sit down. We're going to need you to debrief us with what went down while you were working at HYDRA."

Lily moved around the couch to sit down, placing the backpack she was carrying at her feet before she began speaking.

"HYDRA is just a huge wave of confusion. All the leaders want different things all while wanting the exact same thing. Despite working together they all want to take each other out. One leader, the one who is based here, is obsessed with Alien technology, he's working on making a weapon out of an old Kree artifact."

"Yes, I have been informed about that from another source. They are currently handling that situation but right now we're more concerned on what Strucker is doing."

"Agent Strucker is currently working a country called Sokovia. Rumours have it he's experimenting on humans using Loki's septor."

"And you're sure about this?" Steve spoke up.

Lily looked at the Captain and nodded. "Yes. Before the other Agent's blew their cover I was supposed to be sent there to assist Strucker."

Clint let out a snort which earned him a glare from the three woman. "What? It's just funny because she barely even passed a science class while in the academy. Hell she was refused entry to the Science and Technology academy without even taking the entrance exam first."

"Yes, well it's not like HYDRA was going to bring up transcripts when they didn't even know my real name."

"That's fair enough. Besides if they knew your full name or even who you worked for in SHIELD they would have never let you join HYDRA in the first place."

It was Natasha's turn to let out a laugh. "That's an understatement. She would have been killed."

Noticing Lily's discomfort Maria gave her a small smile. "You know... Your father would be very proud of you."

Lily smiled sadly. "He always said his biggest regret was admitting me to the SHIELD academy but his proudest moment was when I graduated."

There was a small moment of silence amongst the group, Tony looked as though he wanted to say something but before he could open his mouth, Lily seemed to perk up.

"That reminds me," she said out loud as she began digging through her backpack before pulling out what looked like a Captain America lunch tin.

"What that you forgot to eat your lunch?" Tony snipped.

Lily rolled her eyes before turning to look at Captain America. "I meant to ask you this after the mess with the Battle of New York but everything was so hectic and then you were sent to DC but would you be willing to sign this card collection? And maybe the lunch box as well? I just meant a lot to my dad."

Steve gave the young agent a confused look but before he could reply Clint let out a laugh agian. "What are you going to do with those? Sell them? I'm sure you'd get a pretty penny for that."

Lily glared at the man beside her. "Of course not. My father is probably rolling in his grave at even the thought of me selling his Vintage Captain America trading cards."

Lily turned back to Steve and gave a sad smile. "My father was a huge Captain America fan and he desperately wanted to get you to sign his collection but sadly he died before he could."

Lily's words made Steve even more confused. "I would gladly sign them for you, Miss."

"Lily perhaps you should actually tell him who you are?" Natasha suggested. "Maybe the situation would make a bit more sense."

"What do you mean?" Lily asked.

"Lily, Stark and Rogers only know your first name and that you are an Agent of SHIELD," Maria explained.

"Oh... I just assumed that they knew," she replied, her eyes furrowed.

"Well?" called out Tony as he began to get a little impatient. He had been dieing to ask who the hell she was since Maria and Natasha hinted at it. "Get on with it."

Lily turned her head and stare at the billionaire as she answered. "My name is Lily Coulson."

"Coulson? Like Coulson, Coulson? As in Agent Coulson? As in Phil Coulson... Coulson?" Tony shouted as he stood up. Lily just nodded in reply. Not really understanding what the big deal was. She knew her father worked with Stark and the Avengers but she didn't know how much they had really interacted.

"I thought you said he wasn't married," Steve asked looking at Tony.

"He wasn't," Lily answered. "My Mom was also an Agent but she was killed on a mission a year after I was born."

"Why didn't he say something about having a kid?" Tony asked sound hurt.

"It's best relationships like that are kept secret in SHIELD. Anyone who was an enemy of my father would have used me to get to him. Only a handful of people called me Agent Coulson and ninety percent of them are sitting in this room."

"Either way, it would be an honour to sign those cards for you, Miss Coulson," Steve said taking the tin of cards from Lily's hands.

"Now that that has settled, I have decided I am sending you to SHIELD," Maria said speaking directly to Lily. "I understand you would like to stay and help me with the Avengers but SHIELD needs all the personnel they can get. Besides you are trained to handle my position, having you would be an asset."

"I understand."

"Good. I will be giving you the coordinates and you will leave immediately,"

"But you said I could stay for a few days–

"No buts Agent, I need you there immediately. You may have information about Whitehall that their intel don't," With that Agent Hill stood up to retrieve the coordinates for Lily.

Lily stood up as well gathering her backpack. Steve proceeded to hand her back the tin of cards, now completely signed.

"Thank you." she replied. The Captain just nodded and left the room with Clint who patted Lily on the back.

"I will be sending some of my tech with you," Natasha said pointing to a box that sat on the coffee table. "I managed to break my Widow Bites the last time I used them, and Stark tried fixing them only to make them worst."

"Excuse you," mumbled Stark as followed behind Barton and Rogers.

"I see. How do you know there will be anyone there to help?"

"Hill said that the kid who invented those ICERS guns and stuff is working for whoever is running SHIELD. If anything he should be able to fix them for me."

Lily nodded as Agent Hill walked back in the room. "Say goodbye, we're leaving right now."

-:-

"I'll be dropping you off at the Playground, they don't know you're coming, I didn't have time to inform them." Maria said sitting behind the wheel of the Quinjet.

"The Playground?"

"That's the name that was given to the new headquarters," she replied. "Lily... you need to listen to me okay?"

Lily looked over at Maria confused. She rarely called her by her first name so this was obviously serious business.

"When you get there. You cannot be upset. What you're going to see is real. I can't tell you right now because you'll be very upset with me but just know I was under strict orders not to say anything."

"I don't understand," Lily replied giving Maria a look of confusion. She's found herself doing that a lot today.

"No... but you will."

-:-

Agent Hill couldn't drop her off inside of "The Playground" for the fear of being attacked. As the former Commander, Lily thought she would have been a tad more organized. But she was probably only feeling that because she didn't like the fact she had to hike to the base with backpack and a case full of weapons.

It wasn't hard for her to get inside. Working for SHIELD for the last seven years, it was one of her specialities getting into places unnoticed. At least she thought she had gotten in unnoticed until she was face to face with two guns and two angry looking woman.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the younger woman growled out.

Lily ignored the girl and looked to the older woman and nodded to her. "Agent May."

"Lily," May greeted lowering her gun. "Skye. Lower your gun. She's not a threat. She's one of us."

"Hill sent me. Told me to ask to meet the New Director," Lily explained. "I have information concerning HYDRA that I think you'll find useful."

May had a look of concern for a moment before she addressed the girl – Skye, May had called her "Don't say anything."

Skye looked confused before nodding and walking away.

"Hill didn't tell you who the Director was?" May asked after Skye was out of sight.

"No. Are you the Director?"

"No." May started walking down the hallway motioning Lily to follow.

"I thought you were just doing office jobs... does this mean you're back in the field?"

"Yes." They arrived in a kitchen before May stopped and looked at Lily. "I think it is best you leave you bags down here. As well as any weapons you have on you."

Lily furrowed her brows at May's orders. It was asking a lot of an Agent to leave their weapons behind but she removed her gun and daggers anyways. "Why?"

"Because I'm not quite sure how you'll react and I want to be on the safe side."

"Hill told me the same thing. Should I be concerned?"

"I don't think you have a reason to be... but maybe I should let the director know before you go up."

"No need. Either way I still need to speak to them. This won't make a difference," Lily said as she began walking up the stairs.

"Why are you so concerned with her meeting Coulson?" Skye whispered from beside May after Lily had disappeared up the stairs.

May looked back at the young woman. "You'll find out soon enough."

-:-

As Lily opened the door to the office the man behind the desk began speaking. "May I told you I am fine I ... Lily."

Lily stared a the man before her. Of course this was why Hill and May were so concerned.

"How?" was all Lily could manage to say.

"TAHITI."

"Makes sense," she replied stepping into the room and shutting the door behind her. "Why..."

"Didn't we tell you?"

Lily nodded.

"Fury and Hill thought it was best we didn't. You were just getting over my death when I came back and they needed you for other things. I tried getting you transferred to my team but they both preferred you working with them."

"Well they're both dumb now aren't they?"

"Perhaps," Coulson replied with a bit of a smile.

"I don't understand why I wasn't told though... My clearance level was 9 thats higher then your clearance level. I had access to the TAHITI files. I've read the TAHITI files"

"To be fair my clearance level would technically be 10 now," he said trying to joke.

"I'm still trying to process the fact that you're alive. Nevermind the fact that Fury made you director."

"How did you get here?"

"Hill sent me. She thought I would be more help here instead of with her and Stark."

"Right... I mean of course I'll let you join. You have twice as much training as some of our Agents. You've been training under the deputy director of SHIELD since you were 17."

"Maybe we should go down stair now. Let Agent May know I haven't tried killing you yet... I don't know what she was thinking asking me to leave my weapons – she knows I've been trained by Romanoff."

Coulson chuckled and walked around his desk towards his daughter. "That would probably be best."

Lily smiled for the first time seeing her Dad and pulled him into a hug. She didn't want to let go. The last time she had seen him, he lying on the ground with a a hole in his chest. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Lily-pad."

When they made their way down the stairs a small group had formed in the kitchen. Agent May was there with the woman from earlier as well as the two Agents who were undercover at HYDRA. There were three men in the room as well and one of them had opened the case containing the Black Widow's Widow Bites.

"Lily this is my team," Coulson said bringing their attention to the two walking down the stairs. "Team this is Agent Coulson."

"Excuse you?" Skye blurted out looking back and forth between the two. "Did you just say Coulson?"

"Yes. This is Lily. She is my daughter," Coulson explained putting his arm around the girl. Skye looked a bit put off by the gesture but the only person who noticed was Lily herself. She decided to keep that in mind for when she spoke to her in the future.

Coulson began pointing to the different people. "Of course you already know Agent May. The young woman beside her is Skye. That is Agent Triplett, and Mack. These two woman are..."

"Jemma Simmons and Barbra Morse. I know. They jeopardized my cover at HYDRA," Lily interrupted sending the two woman a look. Simmons in return looked guilty and turned her gaze away.

"And man right there inspecting you weapons case is Agent Fitz," Coulson finished after Lily was done staring down the two woman.

Lily watched as the young man drop the equipment he picked up back into the case and stepped away looking a bit embarrassed.

"Skye why don't you show Lily around, she'll be in the bunk next to your so perhaps it would be best to start there," Coulson said addressing Skye while indicating everyone else to leave.

Everyone slowly filed out of the room, Coulson left back to his office with May leaving Skye and Lily together.

"So... You're Coulson's daughter?" Skye asked awkwardly trying to start a conversation.

Lily stared at her and raised a brow.

"Yup," she replied with a pop on the p.

"Okay then... our rooms are this way," Skye said as she closed Lily's weapons case and picked it up off the table and walking out of the room. The younger girl picked her backpack up off the floor and placed her gun and daggers back into their holster before following after.

"So this will be your room, and if you ever need anything mine is just next door," Skye explained as she opened the door to the room and placed the weapons case down on the bed.

Lily threw her backpack on the chair in the room by the desk. The room was pretty standard, only a bit bigger then the one she had on the helicarrier. After she was done eyeing up the room her gaze went back to Skye. The girl had been quiet the whole way to the bunkers.

"I am sorry if my presence here has made you uncomfortable," Lily said aloud, trying to gage a reaction from the older woman.

Skye looked startled for a moment before trying to reassure the new comer. "No. No of course not. You have every right to be here. You're Coulson's daughter after all."

"Is that what makes you uncomfortable? Me being Coulson's daughter?"

"What? Why would you think that," Skye sputtered out as she clumsily sat down on the bed.

"It's okay if you are you know," Lily said stepping towards the bed and Skye.

Skye looked up at Lily defeated. "I just don't know why I would feel this way. I feel angry and sad all at the same time. But I'm happy that Coulson has his daughter back..."

"You feel jealous."

"I don't –

"I wasn't asking," Lily stated while sitting down beside Skye.

"My Dad has this way of caring for everyone he works with – and even without asking them to – making everyone else care in return. Now I don't know anything about your situation but I feel as though my Dad has become a sort of father figure towards you and now that I'm in the picture that makes you feel awkward."

"I... yea. I guess that's partially true."

"You don't need to feel awkward though."

"But I do. You just found out you Dad isn't dead after two and a half years. He's been here this whole time taking care of the team. Looking after me. How can you say that?"

Lily chuckled a bit at Skye's concern. "Skye... I am more then happy to share my Dad with you and anyone else who may be in need of a parental figure in their life. It just so happens that's one of the many things my Dad is good at."

"So you don't hate me?"

"It's going to take a lot more then having to share my Dad with you for me to hate you," Lily said with a wink. "Besides, I like the idea of having an older sister."

-:-

Skye had left Lily to herself after showing her about the base. She had returned to her room to pick up the Black Widow's Bites from her case and was now making her way to the lab. She figured it would be best for her get them fixed as soon as possible because the last thing anyone needed at SHIELD is an impatient Romanoff on their hands.

The Lab was fairly empty except for two of the men her father had introduce earlier.

"Leopold Fitz," Lily called out as she made her way into the room causing the two to turn towards her. "Genius-level engineer graduated SHIELD Academy of Science and Technology at the age of 17, Clearance Level 5 SHIELD agent."

Fitz looked around the room confused, not knowing how to really answer the younger woman. "Uhm... yea. Hi?"

"You and your inventions were quite popular with the higher ups in SHIELD. Specifically amongst Director Fury and Commander Hill, they even kept your mouse hole invention. That got them out of a couple of difficult situations. There was even discussions of bringing you on board to help Stark and Banner before the Battle of New York."

"I don't... how do you... how do you know that?"

"Agent Coulson was Commander Hill's protege. Fury and Hill had been training her for a head position since she was 17 years old. They even had Agents Barton and Romanoff train her in combat. Before SHIELD fell she had a clearance level of 9" the man beside Fitz explained. Mack, that's what his name was.

"Even Stark was quite impressed with your engineering abilities, and don't take that lightly. Stark doesn't give out compliments willingly... or often," Lily said as she began to walk further into the lab towards Fitz's work space.

"Now, I saw you were eyeing this earlier in my weapons case," she said lifting up the devices in her hand. "I'm sure if you've worked in the science division you've see these at some point or another. These are Agent Romanoff's Widow Bites. They were broken the last time she used them and well lets just say Stark fried them even more trying to fix them."

"So you want me... you want me to try to... fix... them?" Fitz mumbled as he stared at the tech in Lily's hands.

"Look Turbo here really isn't at his best to be working on those, I'm sure Skye or your Dad filled you in on the situation," Mack said stepping between the two. "But I can take a look at them if you'd like."

Lily eyed the larger man up. She didn't trust him, she could tell the second she looked at him that there was something up. She especially didn't like the tone he took the minute he mentioned her father, it was subtle but it was there. "No. Natasha asked for Leopold specifically to take a look at them."

"Maybe you don't understand but chances are he might not be able to do it."

"And why is that? I am sorry if I am not all up to date on the situations that have happened here or to the team. But right now you're not making it easier for me to understand."

"Listen, the kid suffered some brain damage from oxygen deprivation and he has a serious case aphasia. He has difficulties doing simple tasks at the best of times. Perhaps its best if you don't ask him to fix something as important as an Avenger's weapon."

"I am sorry... Mack was it? But in all honesty I was asking Fitz here whether or not he would be up to it. And even if he wasn't you'd be the last person I would ask to look at this equipment. So please leave."

Mack glared at the young woman before shoving past her and stalking out of the room. Lily placed the Widow's Bites down on the work bench and turned towards the young engineer.

"I know how you feel," Lily started.

Fitz looked at her, face full of curiosity and confusion. "What do you mean?"

"To have everyone look at you like you're different. Like you're going to break any second and they don't know how to approach you. They act like you're incompetent and think you need to take a break or even move on with you life."

All Fitz felt like he could do it look at her in wonder.

"I know that my situation is a lot different then yours. I watched my dad as he was murdered by an Asgardian god. I mean I didn't suffer physically but I took a lot of psychological damage."

"That would be rough." Was the first time that came out of the man's mouth and Lily laughed not only for the choice of words but the look of horror on his face after he realized what he had said. "I... didn't... I wasn't... oh hell."

"It's okay. But do you think you would be up to looking at those? I just need to let Agent Romanoff know if I need to find someone else..."

"No... No... of course... of course I will look at them. I can't uhm... uhmm... guarantee results right away. But it's a dream to work on the uhm... for the... uhm the Avengers thats it."

"Thank you, that is wonderful. She'll definitely appreciate it. I'm sure if you ever felt like you needed out of here... Tony would take you on in a heart beat. Aphasia and all."

"But I'm broken."

"Not broken... just a little damaged. But aren't we all a little damaged? SHIELD has a way doing that to people."

"Yea..."

Lily smiled and placed her hand on the man's shoulder giving it a small squeeze before turning to walk out of the lab. After a few steps she paused and looked back to Fitz with concern.

"Fitz... be careful with Alphonso Mackenzie, alright?"

"You acted like you didn't know who he was."

Lily gave him a pointed look. "Agent Fitz. I was Agent Hill's second hand for almost six years with a level 9 clearance. It was my job to know everything about everyone. That includes Alphonso Mackenzie and he sure as hell isn't just a mechanic. After the HYDRA incident you need to learn you can't just trust everyone."

"Yea... we discovered that the hard way."

-:-

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